Get Messy with Maddie

Okay, this one is extra special to me — because I've known today's guest since we were five years old.

Nicole Chino is a NICU nurse of 10+ years, a mom, a wife, and the founder of Nicole Chino Photography — a booming newborn, maternity, and family photography business she built from scratch while balancing 12-hour hospital shifts and raising her babies. In just the last year, she went from 500 to 14K followers and had a reel cross 500K likes. Yeah. We're talking about all of it.

In this episode, we get into the real, messy truth of building something while you're still figuring out who you are. We talk charging your worth, the loneliness of being your own boss, going viral, pushing through the cringe of showing up online, and why motherhood became the engine behind everything she's built.

If you're a creative trying to turn your passion into something real — or you're just in a season of becoming — this episode is for you.

In This Episode We Cover:

• The "becoming" season — what it actually feels like to be figuring out who you are as a mom, wife, business owner, and creative all at the same time
• Why motherhood was the catalyst for starting Nicole Chino Photography — and how it stayed the motivation throughout
• The first scary financial decision: charging real money and what that moment meant for how she saw herself as a professional
• When and how to raise your prices — and why a packed schedule was the signal she needed
• Going from 500 to 14K followers and a viral reel with 500K+ likes — what she thinks actually made it take off
• Overcoming the cringe of posting yourself online and why human connection beats a perfect feed every time
• Entrepreneurship as a mindset game — why talent alone won't cut it and how "fake it till you make it" is actually legit
• The loneliness of being your own boss — even when you have support, the buck always stops with you
• Virtual photography sessions — how Nicole is now working with clients across the country without leaving her home state
• The fear she hasn't faced yet: learning to say no and cap her bookings to protect her family time
• What she's most excited about as her kids and her business grow up together

✨Connect with Nicole✨

• Instagram: @nicolechino_photography
• Website: nicolechinophotography.com
• Book a session or send an inquiry through the link in her bio!

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Explore Maddie’s Website | @messywithmaddie

The people in your life are either building you up or breaking you down - and some of them are doing both.

In this episode, I'm going deep on the friendships that fuel a creative career and the ones quietly costing you your energy, your confidence, and your forward momentum. We cover the Friendship Shelf Theory, the must-have friend archetypes for creatives, and the draining ones you might be holding onto out of loyalty; not love. Plus, there's a study about ambivalent friendships and what they do to your nervous system that completely stopped me in my tracks when I read it.

If you've been feeling the stickiness in certain friendships lately this one is for you.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] — The hard truth about the people in your life

[01:00] — Why friendship is especially complicated for creatives

[02:00] — Alfred Adler's 3 universal life tasks (friendship is one of them)

[03:30] — The Friendship Shelf Theory explained

05:00] — The friends you NEED: the road dog, the one who gets it & the honest validator

[11:30] — The fun one, the collaborator & the nervous system regulator

[13:30] — The season of life match friend

[14:30] — Friends to watch out for: the ambivalent friend & the science that backs it

[16:30] — The gatekeeper, the one-upper & the energy vampire

[20:30] — The real cost of the wrong friendships for creatives

[21:30] — Normalizing friendship grief

[22:30] — Three questions to sit with

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Explore Maddie’s Website | @messywithmaddie

If you've ever started a new habit with the best intentions — only to watch it fall apart two weeks later — this episode is going to hit different. I sat down with Ana Cordera, the NYC-based creator and speaker behind Ana Builds Habits, and honestly? I felt like I was getting free therapy the entire time.

Ana breaks down why most habits don't stick (spoiler: it has nothing to do with discipline or willpower) and what you actually need to do first, before you build a single routine. We get into identity, perfectionism, the messy middle of building a creator brand while working a 9-to-5, and what Coco Gauff writing "I will win the French Open" the night before she actually won has to do with your creative journey.

— Introducing: Ana Cordera!

— Why habits really fail (it's an identity problem, not a discipline problem)

— The running story: how Ana learned to commit to a new identity

— Growing up across multiple countries & how structure became both a superpower and a trap

— Taking $10K worth of coaching — and the real shift that finally clicked

— The tactical moves that helped Ana claim the identity of a creator

— The mindset coach question that moves you out of overthinking and into action

— Coco Gauff, the French Open, and reverse-engineering your success through identity

— What Ana's week actually looks like: balancing a 9-to-5, wedding planning & a creator brand

— How to build a household that actually works when two people have different work styles

— The habit that surprised Ana the most: Alyssa Liu and the joy of the process

— What people romanticize about being a content creator (and the real difference between influencers vs. creators)

— Unfavorable habits Ana has had to break — including one that's still a work in progress

— Why rest is Ana's hardest habit to build (especially living in NYC)

— How to schedule a doom-scrolling session (yes, really — and it works)

— What to do when confidence and doubt show up at the same time

— Using a physical challenge to build confidence in a totally different area of your life

— How Ana recharges creativity when she hits a wall

— Rapid fire: the messiest thing about Ana

— What Ana is still figuring out: learning to let go of the outcome

— What Ana is most excited about right now (personally & professionally)

✨Connect with Ana✨

@anabuildshabits | Keep up with Ana on LinkedIn

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Explore Maddie’s Website | @messywithmaddie

That little voice in your head telling you you're not smart enough, interesting enough, or capable enough of building the life you want? There's a name for it - and it's been running your life longer than you know.

In this episode, I dive into the psychology of core beliefs: deeply ingrained, usually subconscious convictions we hold about ourselves that quietly shape every decision we make. I get really real about the core belief I uncovered that had been silently keeping me small, and I break down exactly how to find yours, challenge it, and replace it with something that actually serves you.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] — What is a core belief and why it matters

[01:15] — CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

[04:00] — I uncover my own core beliefs (and get uncomfortable)

[07:00] — Why I always collaborated instead of going solo creatively

[09:00] — The New Year's Eve conversation that changed everything

[13:00] — How strengths can mask and protect negative core beliefs

[16:00] — Step 1: Take stock of your thoughts

[18:00] — Step 2: Challenge the belief — demand the evidence

[19:00] — Step 3: Replace it with a belief that actually serves you

[20:30] — Backing up your new belief with your real strengths

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Explore Maddie’s Website | @messywithmaddie

Have you taken the Enneagram test, had your entire personality confirmed in three paragraphs, and then... kept scrolling? Same. But according to my guest this week, that's exactly where most people go wrong.

I'm sitting down with Ashton (aka Enneagram Ashton) — public speaker, author, and Enneagram coach who built a thriving business helping people go from "cool, I'm a 4" to actually using that information to grow.

In this episode, I pick her brain on what it actually means to use the Enneagram (hint: it's not about finding your perfect match), the myths I know we've all believed about entrepreneurship, the sting of getting ghosted on a business deal, the rollercoaster of money and consistency, and how she recharges her creativity.

Whether you're Enneagram-obsessed like me or totally Enneagram-curious, I think this one's going to stick with you.

✨Connect with Ashton✨

Follow @enneagramashton on Instagram

Check out her website: enneagramashton.com for The Support Squad membership & The Enneagram Advantage program

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Explore Maddie’s Website | @messywithmaddie

Are you holding back in your career, your creative work, or your relationships — not because you don't want to win, but because you're secretly terrified of losing? Yeah. Same. In this quick but mighty mindset episode, I'm breaking down one of the most powerful moments from Andre Agassi's memoir Open — and how a single question he asked himself mid-match completely changed how I approach my voiceover auditions (and honestly, my whole life).

If you've ever found yourself playing it safe, second-guessing your instincts, or trying to be what everyone else wants you to be — this one's for you, babe.

Timestamps:

• [00:00] Welcome + what we're diving into today
• [00:30] Why Andre Agassi's memoir Open is an unexpected must-read for creatives
• [01:00] The match that changed everything — playing to WIN vs. playing not to LOSE
• [02:00] How this hit home: losing a 2.5-year voiceover client and the spiral that followed
• [03:30] The trap of trying to "do all the right things" — and why it makes your work go flat
• [05:00] What "getting messy again" actually looks like in practice
• [06:00] The mindset shift that got Maddie a callback AND an avail within ONE week
• [07:00] The question to ask yourself in every arena of your life

Resources Mentioned:

• Open by Andre Agassi

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Explore Maddie’s Website | @messywithmaddie

Emma Palmer is a lot of things — actor, producer, sustainable fashion co-founder, podcast host, mom — and she's living proof that there is no single right way to build a creative life.In this episode, we get real about the messy, nonlinear path of being a multi-hyphenate creative. From founding Lady Farmer (a sustainable lifestyle brand) with her mom, to stumbling into Bright Holler Productions after a conversation with her therapist, Emma's story is full of unexpected pivots, hard-won money lessons, and the kind of gut-trust that most of us are still learning.We also get into: nanny share childcare hacks for working moms, why tax codes actually favor entrepreneurs, the puzzle-piece theory of building a career, and why 'if you can do anything else, do that' is the most useless advice in entertainment.

Timestamps

• [00:00] — Intro — Meet Emma Palmer: actor, producer, sustainable lifestyle brand co-founder
• [01:00] — Balancing a toddler, multiple businesses, and actually getting stuff done
• [02:30] — The nanny share genius — childcare hack for working creative moms
• [07:30] — How Lady Farmer was born out of a gap in sustainable fashion
• [09:30] — Launching via Kickstarter and the pivot they didn't see coming
• [13:00] — Hitting pause on the Good Dirt Podcast — and coming back stronger
• [14:00] — Bright Holler Productions: how a therapist, a church, and a Scout bag launched a company
• [19:00] — Redefining Rich — the book that changed how Emma thinks about self-employment
• [26:00] — Corporate vs. creative: owning your time vs. being owned by your time
• [31:00] — Why you're usually your own biggest obstacle (and how to get out of your way)
• [35:00] — Financial lessons for creatives: entrepreneur tax advantages no one tells you about
• [38:00] — Ebbs, flows & the puzzle-piece philosophy for navigating the messy middle
• [43:00] — From wanting to be a teacher to running two businesses: the evolution of a dream
• [51:00] — Mindset work, CBT, and learning to take that big swing
• [55:00] — Retiring the 'do anything else' advice — why creatives need to create their own work
• [57:00] — What's messy, what's exciting, and what Emma's still figuring out

Resources Mentioned

• Redefining Rich by Shannon Hayes
• Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy

✨Connect with Emma✨

Podcast: The Good Dirt Podcast

Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram

Follow Emma on Instagram: @maryemmakingsley

Bright Holler Productions Website

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Explore Maddie’s Website | @messywithmaddie

Okay, real talk — have you ever gotten SO obsessed with an idea that you've basically already accepted your Grammy/Oscar/Olympic gold medal in your head... before you've done a single thing to actually make it happen? Yeah. Same. In this solo episode, I'm taking you back to a crystal-clear memory from the 2006 Winter Olympics and a lesson my mom dropped on me at 12 years old that still hits just as hard today: you're speed skating in your head. We're getting into shiny object syndrome, romanticizing the reward, and the one question you need to ask yourself before you blow up your whole life for a new dream: Am I willing to make the sacrifice — even when the reward isn't guaranteed?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• You're watching someone's highlight reel — not the years of work behind it. Get honest about what's actually behind the curtain before you dive in.
• The sacrifice always comes before the reward, and the reward is never guaranteed. Are you willing to pay the price first?
• Shiny object syndrome isn't about being lazy — it's about falling in love with the idea of the thing instead of the reality of it.
• Giving yourself permission to put a goal down for this season is not failure. It's self-awareness.
• The question to ask yourself: Do I want the glory, or am I actually willing to do the work?

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Explore Maddie’s Website | @messywithmaddie

What happens when everything falls apart and you finally commit to the thing you've been running from? In this episode, I sit down with David Millstone—actor, producer, and co-host of the Every Day Courage podcast—to talk about coming to acting at 42 after major life shifts, building a career on your own terms, and why the creative journey is never, ever done.

If you've ever felt like you started too late, pivoted too many times, or worried that exploring multiple creative identities means you're not "serious" enough—this conversation is for you. We're talking about the long game, learning from every version of yourself, and why your job as an artist is to keep naming new mysteries.

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00] - Intro: Meet David Millstone—actor, producer, creative explorer

[01:00] - From theater kid to newspaper editor: The early pivot away from acting

[03:00] - The life change that catapulted him back to acting at 42

[04:00] - "What doesn't kill you makes you stranger"—rebuilding confidence

[06:00] - Acting as exploration of self-states vs. catharsis

[07:00] - The Body Keeps the Score and relational cycle analysis

[08:00] - Why acting should be a conversation, not a monologue

[15:00] - The pivot to producing: When acting alone wasn't enough

[25:00] - What David learns from younger actors about the business

[40:00] - Breaking free from the "actor as victim" mentality

[45:00] - Building your career with agency and intention

[57:00] - The "no plan B" myth and why it's bulls**t

[1:00:00] - Where to find David + Season 2 of Every Day Courage

✨RESOURCES✨

· Get Messy: Authenticity and Transformation: Sasha Feldman’s Journey from Actor to Therapist

· Get Messy: Building Confidence through Creativity with Michelle Simone Miller

· Get Messy: Walking the Bridge of Life: Presence, Change, and Identity

·The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.

✨Connect with David✨

Podcast: Every Day Courage with David Millstone and Stephan Dweck

Website: davidmillstone.com

Instagram: @davidmillstone

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Explore Maddie’s Website | @messywithmaddie

What happens when you stop waiting for validation and start creating your own opportunities? In this episode, I sit down with my friend Taylor Meskimen—actress, audiobook narrator, musician, and all-around creative powerhouse—to talk about the messy, beautiful reality of being a multi-hyphenate artist.

Taylor opens up about finally booking her first major TV role on 9-1-1 (after YEARS of auditioning), why she almost quit the traditional acting path, and how creating her own work has changed everything. We get real about the scarcity mindset that plagues creative industries, the golden nugget advice she learned from her dad (actor Jim Meskimen) about self-promotion, and why audiobook narration might be the best-kept secret in voice-over.

If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right but still waiting for someone to give you permission to succeed—this conversation is for you. We're talking about playing to WIN instead of playing not to lose, getting out of your own way, and remembering why you fell in love with your craft in the first place.

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00] - Intro: Meet Taylor Meskimen, multi-hyphenate artist

[01:00] - Balancing multiple art forms: acting, voice-over, narration, music

[03:00] - How voice-over became Taylor's financial foundation

[06:00] - The curse and blessing of creating your own schedule

[08:00] - Writing her first feature film with best friend Alexandra Du Parc

[11:00] - Why writing made Taylor a better actor

[14:00] - Advice from three generations of artists (including her grandmother from Happy Days!)

[17:00] - The golden nugget: Why self-promotion isn't selfish

[20:00] - Being your own biggest obstacle

[22:00] - Booking 9-1-1

[25:00] - The old DPN days: When auditions were collaborative and in-person

[29:00] - Breaking into audiobooks: Taylor's insider tips

[32:00] - Why the audiobook industry is uniquely welcoming

[34:00] - Combating scarcity mindset in creative careers

[37:00] - How COVID changed the audition landscape

[42:00] - What it felt like filming 9-1-1 and proving herself on a major TV set

[45:00] - Creating momentum through making your own projects

[49:00] - Animation, video games, and different voice-over styles

[51:00] - Making bold choices that stand out

[58:00] - The role of luck (and naiveness) in booking jobs

[1:00:00] - Playing to win vs. playing not to lose (Andre Agassi wisdom)

[1:02:00] - Rapid fire: What's the messiest thing about Taylor?

[1:04:00] - What Taylor's excited about: Music, guitar, and upcoming projects

[1:06:00] - Where to find Taylor and her work

✨Connect with Taylor✨

Email: [email protected] (for audiobook tips!)

Instagram: @tmex

Website: taylormeskimen.com

YouTube: Taylor Meskimen

The Role - Short Film

✨Connect with Maddie✨

Explore Maddie’s Website | @maddiemcguirecoaching | @maddiemcguire4